York’s Literature Festival opens its doors

Today marks the first day of the York Literature Festival, an event which is set to see a great number of people attend and which will run until March 26.

Founded in 2007, this event is now in its 12th year and has continued to grow since it very first opened its doors.

There will be books, books and more books at York's Literature Festival

This festival will see a diverse range of events suitable for different age ranges and tastes, including adults and children, and various venues throughout the city of York will host a wide mixture of events.

The focus of this year’s festival is York’s rich and diverse history, therefore the literary theme will revolve around history and historical fiction. January 2018 marked the bicentenary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, an occasion which this festival will celebrate by hosting a number of events centred around this.

The programme will include a range of author and speaker events, performances, workshops, poetry, theatre, cinema and reading groups.

Amongst the wide range of contributors and the many returning acts, the festival will again see the likes of Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Germaine Greer, Alan Johnson, Dame Jenni Murray and York’s own Kate Atkinson.

The city of York will be the backdrop to this literary event

It will celebrate the renowned Yorkshire authors such as W.H. Auden and the Brontë Sisters, alongside Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, who regularly visited the city of York.

Literary works based and printed in York, and authors who made the city their home, will also feature in this festival, in keeping with this year’s theme and the nature of the festival.

This festival also contributes to the cultural life of York and its surrounding areas, by showcasing the best of what the city has to offer, the great literary works which have stemmed from the region and the work of many local up and coming writers.

It is also boosted by the goodwill and participation of multiple local individuals, groups and organisations, who are committed to helping this festival in any way they can.

A number of family orientated events and the welcome return of the York Literature Festival HUB, which involves a strand of events celebrating the best of York talent, will also feature in this event. This year the festival has partnered with The Wilberforce Trust, which has subsequently paved way for the Poetry for All event, which will included a large screen projection and a BSL interpretation.

St.Peter’s school in York will be one of the venues of this festival, and they will be hosting seven events in total, including Guy Bass: Stitch Head and Dr Janina Ramirez: The World of Medieval Mysticism.

This Literature Festival is set to be one of Yorkshire’s literary highlights so far this year, providing a great place to learn about York’s rich history and the great literary works that have emerged from the region.